• Midtown Carnegie Branch Library-African American History Month Kickoff at the library, 1 p.m. Enjoy living history, food samples and dress reminiscent of the Civic Club gatherings of the 1920s Harlem Renaissance. Experience the literary art movement of the era with a discussion of new artists, intellectuals and books. Guests include Missouri State University intern Briana Simmons and African-American Read-In members. Sponsored by Peoples Etiquette, Springfield branch of the NAACP and the library. Call 862-0135. Feb. 3

• Film and Discussion, 7:30-9:30 p.m. MSU Meyer Library, 101 “Eyes on the Prize, Episode 2, Fighting Back, 1957-1962,” discussion facilitator, Dr. Gilbert Brown, associate dean, MSU College of Education. Free. This is part of the “Civil Rights in America: How Far Have We Come?” series and National African American Read-In (AARI). Information: 417-836-5652; Goss343@live.missouristate.eduFeb. 4

• Georgia 5th District Congressman John Lewis will be a guest on Skype and will discuss his latest book, “March,” a graphic novel memoir about his life, co-authored with Nate Powell and Andrew Aydin, 10 a.m.-noon, Midtown Carnegie Branch Library, 397 E. Central St. A panel of youth book-talk reviewers from 4-As Central High School will present book highlights and ask Lewis questions along with the audience. Dr. Grace Jackson-Brown, MSU Library Science Department, will host. (An AARI event) Feb. 8

• Race and Faith Collaborative presents a locally produced film that focuses on family and friends in Springfield, 8 p.m. at the Moxie Cinema’s new location, 305 S. Campbell Ave. The meeting is open to the public and will reveal the second chapter in the group’s Toolkit: video tools for engaging Friends & Family in meaningful conversations about race and race relations. Feb 11

• Step Afrika!, 7 p.m. at Plaster Student Union Theatre at MSU. Step Afrika! is the first professional company in the world dedicated to the tradition of stepping. The company completes an annual 50-city tour of colleges and theaters from Maine to Mississippi and is a national model for the use of stepping in education, espousing themes such as teamwork, academic achievement and cross-cultural understanding. Free. Information: 417-836-4626 Feb. 12-13

• Tunnel of Oppression, 6 p.m. both evenings at Wells House Grand Lounge, MSU. An interactive campuswide diversity program in which actors put on scenarios for participants to experience. The scenarios cover different types of diversity and social justice. Free. Information: 417-836-4390 Feb. 17

• AARI Finale Program, 7-8:30 p.m. at the Library Station, 2535 N. Kansas Expressway. Music by Pipkin Middle School Choir; skit based on the theme “What would Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Do?” performed by Springfield youth, and dramatic reading, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” by King read by Lyle Foster, MSU instructor and Springfield businessman

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Progress has been made, but there’s room for improvement.

On the eve of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, that’s how several Springfield residents characterize the community’s effort to embrace and accept people of different color, religion or philosophical mindset.

On Monday, rain or shine, many people from wide-ranging backgrounds will gather to walk across the city’s Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge linking north Benton and Kimbrough avenues in a symbolic celebration of the civil rights leader’s message of peace and unity. The theme of this year’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom March and Celebration is “Fulfilling the Dream: Changemakers.”

“Are we making progress? That’s the million-dollar question,” said Cheryl Clay, president of the local NAACP chapter. “Springfield is improving, but there’s also a lot of work to be done for our community to be more accepting of our growing diversity. Our community is changing to reflect more people of color.”

Clay called the annual MLK walk across the bridge “an almost indescribable moment, when you look behind and see hundreds of people crossing the bridge, for all races and all faiths, to unite behind the vision Dr. King had for this country.”

The Rev. Phil Snider, pastor at Brentwood Christian Church, said it’s important to remember why King’s legacy is celebrated with a federal holiday and with local community events every year.

“Martin Luther King Jr. was the greatest moral theologian in the history of the United States,” Snider said. “His vision represents what is best about us. Perhaps most importantly and most valuable is that we’re celebrating his vision very publicly. By walking across this bridge we can honor and respect the values of what he represents.”

Snider said the MLK Bridge in Springfield works in two ways — as a symbol of the divide that existed between races in the past, and as a pathway that helps unite them as the community moves forward in addressing racial inequalities and prejudices.

“As we’re making that journey across the bridge, are you evaluating the priorities in your own life, to honor those who came before you?” Snider said. “Are we honoring those who sacrificed for the greater good? The symbolism of that bridge is in asking if we are willing to follow in his footsteps.”

Vallory Williams, former senior pastor at Pathways United Methodist Church, said it’s important to remember the wider meaning of why we celebrate MLK Day.

“The thing to remember on this day is that it’s for all people, not just black people or people of color,” Williams said. “It’s to remind us that all people are indeed sacred in the eyes of God. And I think it’s a day to remember the struggles that all of us face, not just black people.”

Walking together across the MLK Bridge marks a passage through history, she said, moving from one era of the past to a different time in the future “where we all are trying to arrive at the promised land.”

“We’re not there yet,” Williams said, “until every individual is treated with dignity and respect and isn’t profiled based on the way they look or the color of their skin.”

Springfield, she said, is still working its way across that bridge, but is getting closer to being more accepting of people who are different than the 88 percent of whites who make up the vast majority of the city’s population.

“I don’t see that as a disheartening thing,” Williams said. “We are making progress. In 2014 I look forward to seeing more work being done with the Race and Faith Collaborative (a yearlong project to improve race relations and enhance diversity in the Greater Springfield area). To move forward we need to be willing to talk and listen to somebody of a different race or creed or color. The more we talk with each other, the better off we’ll be.”

The Race and Faith Collaborative is one of several community efforts aimed at encouraging diversity in Springfield and breaking down fears and barriers that tend to separate people living in the same town. The effort was sponsored by City of Springfield, the Center for Diversity and Reconciliation, Missouri State University and the Council of Churches of the Ozarks.

The Rev. Mark Struckhoff, executive director of the Springfield Council of Churches, said MLK Day represents an opportunity for all people to “listen again to his voice.”

“There’s an absolutely American voice being lifted up that Americans need to hear this voice calling out for justice, for economic equality, for social equality — however you want to frame it,” Struckhoff said. “The black experience in America is an experience that’s still crying out to be understood and heard. It’s also a call for you to recognize you have brothers and sisters who are just like you, yet who are missing out because of systemic injustice in what it means to be American.”

Struckhoff, for example, said blacks still face obstacles to success that many whites don’t encounter.

“I hear the voice of Martin Luther King saying you were born on third base but don’t act like you hit a triple on your own,” he said. “There were advantages that got you there just because you were born white.”

Struckhoff said the Race and Faith Collaborative hopes to move that discussion forward on Feb. 8 by showing a locally produced film that focuses on family and friends in Springfield. He declined to reveal much more, hoping many Springfieldians will be curious to discover what the film — and the collaborative itself — is all about.

He encouraged people to check out the collaborative’s Facebook page for more details as the Feb. 8 event moves closer.

Ken Coopwood, a member of the Collaborative and Missouri State University’s vice president for diversity and inclusion, offered a quote from Benjamin Franklin to help tie in the message of MLK Day.

“It’s important to acknowledge Martin Luther King Day because the dream of King is not something we simply agree with and then go on our separate ways,” Coopwood said. “It’s something that has to be nurtured day by day, month by month and year by year. Each year we pause to recognize the importance of something that represents an investment in our own knowledge of ourselves and each other.

“As Ben Franklin said, an investment in knowledge pays us the best interest. We should continue to build on our interest in each other.”

Learn more about the history of the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge when you clickhere.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Black History Month events

Monday

• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom March and Celebration: Fulfilling the Dream: Changemakers, 9:30 a.m.-noon. Participants will gather at Mediacom Ice Park, where they will proceed north across the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge, then west on Tampa Street, south on Jefferson Avenue to the Gillioz Theatre. After the march, a celebration of life Freedom Rally will take place at the Gillioz Theatre, 325 Park Central East. Free. 417-873-6386;

Feb. 2

• Midtown Carnegie Branch Library-African American History Month Kickoff at the library, 1 p.m. Enjoy living history, food samples and dress reminiscent of the Civic Club gatherings of the 1920s Harlem Renaissance. Experience the literary art movement of the era with a discussion of new artists, intellectuals and books. Guests include Missouri State University intern Briana Simmons and African-American Read-In members. Sponsored by Peoples Etiquette, Springfield branch of the NAACP and the library. Call 862-0135.

Feb. 3

• Film and Discussion, 7:30-9:30 p.m. MSU Meyer Library, 101 “Eyes on the Prize, Episode 2, Fighting Back, 1957-1962,” discussion facilitator, Dr. Gilbert Brown, associate dean, MSU College of Education. Free. This is part of the “Civil Rights in America: How Far Have We Come?” series and National African American Read-In (AARI). Information: 417-836-5652; Goss343@live.missouristate.edu

Feb. 6

• Georgia 5th District Congressman John Lewis will be a guest on Skype and will discuss his latest book, “March,” a graphic novel memoir about his life, co-authored with Nate Powell and Andrew Aydin, 10 a.m.-noon, Midtown Carnegie Branch Library, 397 E. Central St. A panel of youth book-talk reviewers from 4-As Central High School will present book highlights and ask Lewis questions along with the audience. Dr. Grace Jackson-Brown, MSU Library Science Department, will host. (An AARI event)

Feb. 8

• Race and Faith Collaborative presents a locally produced film that focuses on family and friends in Springfield, 8 p.m. at the Moxie Cinema’s new location, 305 S. Campbell Ave. The meeting is open to the public and will reveal the second chapter in the group’s Toolkit: video tools for engaging Friends & Family in meaningful conversations about race and race relations.

Feb 11

• Step Afrika!, 7 p.m. at Plaster Student Union Theatre at MSU. Step Afrika! is the first professional company in the world dedicated to the tradition of stepping. The company completes an annual 50-city tour of colleges and theaters from Maine to Mississippi and is a national model for the use of stepping in education, espousing themes such as teamwork, academic achievement and cross-cultural understanding. Free. Information: 417-836-4626

Feb. 12-13

• Tunnel of Oppression, 6 p.m. both evenings at Wells House Grand Lounge, MSU. An interactive campuswide diversity program in which actors put on scenarios for participants to experience. The scenarios cover different types of diversity and social justice. Free. Information: 417-836-4390

Feb. 24

• AARI Finale Program, 7-8:30 p.m. at the Library Station, 2535 N. Kansas Expressway. Music by Pipkin Middle School Choir; skit based on the theme “What would Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Do?” performed by Springfield youth, and dramatic reading, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” by King read by Lyle Foster, MSU instructor and Springfield businessman